GN-006 Cherudim Gundam
"Lockon Stratos, Cherudim! Sniping the targets!" The mobile suit piloted by the Gundam Meister codenamed 'Lockon Stratos', the GN-006 Cherudim Gundam is one of the machines on the forefront of Celestial Being's 'war on war'. Possessing one of the five True Solar Furnaces known to exist, the Gundam fills the sniper role previously occupied by the GN-002 Gundam Dynames, but it demonstrates a greater versatility, armed with an array of multi-role weapons, including its impressive GN Shield Bits system. History As the successor machine to the GN-002 Gundam Dynames, the GN-006 Cherudim Gundam is heavily based on its predecessor's design. Celestial Being engineers, chiefly Ian Vashti but with some assistance from his wife and Sherilyn Hyde, sought to overcome the relative lack of flexibility in the previous machine, which operated extremely well in a static sniper position, but not especially well in other situations once the advantages of the GN Drive were neutralised. As such, almost all of the systems have seen a significant upgrade from the original, particularly the weapon systems, which now have at least two modes each for greater adaptability. Moreover, the unwieldly armor system was scrapped entirely, and replaced with a more versatile bit system, primarily controlled by the docked Haro. Cherudim was tested and rolled out in mid-NCA 119, piloted by Lyle Dylandy operating under the guise of 'Lockon Stratos'. Since then, the Gundam has remained the primary machine of Lyle during his operations as one of Celestial Being's Meisters, and has seen combat in numerous missions and environments. However, Cherudim was recently nearly destroyed during an A-LAWS attack on Ame-no-Mihashira, at the hands of Leo Stenbuck in a GN-XIII and Ribbons Almark in his GNZ-001 GRM Gundam; with the primary mobile suit undergoing a major refit and repairs, Lockon has been instead left to pilot a variant of Cherudim, the GN-006SA Cherudim Gundam SAGA. Technology Like all of the Gundams fielded by Celestial Being, the GN-006 Cherudim uses a GN Drive for power generation and propulsion; this drive is one of the five True Solar Furnaces built under the auspices of Aeolia Schenberg's plan, and much of its operation is still shrouded in mystery. Harnessing topological defects and the decay of baryonic matter to generate power, the GN Drive is an essentially limitless, clean power source; as long as the drive remains intact, it will function for all intents and purposes forever. However, available particle density can fall below useable levels, and the GN Condensers throughout Cherudim's frame can be depleted, so immediate power concerns still exist, however the GN Drive is constantly recharging the mobile suit. Because it possesses a True Solar Furnace, Cherudim is capable of Trans-Am, the trump card of Aeolia's Plan. With Trans-Am, the GN Drive increases output above the usual until the particle charge reaches optimal density, the point at which it cannot draw any further power from the source; at this point, the Gundam is significantly overcharged, increasing its abilities enormously. With a True Solar Furnace, Trans-Am can be deactivated at any time by the pilot, and safety precautions will automatically shut it down when the GN Drive's particle density falls below critical density, the charge required for standard operations. At this point, the suit's performance is limited until the drive is able to recharge its particles. Cherudim possesses an additional system that only works in Trans-Am, the holographic targeting system. An additional targeting screen is overlaid in front of the Gundam's optical sensors, giving the pilot a superior view of whatever he's aiming at; combined with the increased power and range of the Gundam's weapons in Trans-Am, the holographic targeting system allows Cherudim to snipe targets at extremely long range. The GN-006 Cherudim is also the first Celestial Being mobile suit to be equipped with remote weapons, using a specially-designed bit control system. The bit control system allows a pilot without any sort of psychic abilities to control bits, though in Cherudim's case the docked Haro is used to track and operate all nine GN Shield Bits simultaneously. These bits, in addition to their obvious shield capacity - working as nine independent defensive shields for Cherudim or its allies - have built in GN beam weapons, and can thus be used offensively as well, increasing Cherudim's available firepower. Like its fellow GN-series Gundams, Cherudim is equipped with a strong optical camouflage system in order to hide it out in the open. The optical camouflage is of limited use in any sort of combat operations, as quick movements spoils the effect, but when the suit is stationary it can be activated to render it virtually invisible to normal sight, GN particle dispersion likewise protecting the Gundam from electronic surveillance. Weapons Systems Like Dynames, Cherudim's weapon systems are primarily gun-based; it's an unusual example of a Gundam-type mobile suit that lacks any beam sabers at all. Unlike Dynames, however, all of its weapons are designed to operate in multiple roles. Cherudim's primary weapon is the GN Sniper Rifle II. A directed energy weapon using GN particle-derived beam technology, the Sniper Rifle II operates as a long-range, high-accuracy weapon in its sniper rifle mode, but it also has a secondary mode, where it works as a GN submachinegun, trading accuracy for close to mid range rapid-fire. Cherudim is also equipped with two GN Pistol IIs, which are more GN beam weapons; the pistols lack the punch of the Sniper RIfle II, but are more versatile in close and can be brought to bear more quickly. Each pistol incorporates a GN blade along the underside, allowing them to block melee attacks and also function as axe-like melee weapons, using a physical blade imbued with GN particles to stop beams and cut through armor. Finally, Cherudim has four GN Missile Launchers built into its front skirt armor; its complement of missiles is not large, but each missile is fairly powerful despite their small size. The GN Missiles incorporate GN particle technology along with conventional explosives, using particles for propulsion and to damage armor before unleashing a devastating explosion. Significant Errata The GN-006SA Cherudim Gundam SAGA is a variant of the original Cherudim design, intended for base attacks and heavy assaults rather than a sniper role. Meanwhile, Celestial Being engineer Sherilyn Hyde is at work on an expected upgrade to the existing Cherudim, though what form it will take, and when it will be deployed, remains to be seen... Category:Mech Category:Mobile Suit Gundam 00